


Compromise

by SavvyLittleMinx



Series: The Scarlet Manor [1]
Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Gen, Mob Bosses, Organized Crime, Tattoos, The Arcana AU, The Scarlet Manor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-04 01:44:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13353894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SavvyLittleMinx/pseuds/SavvyLittleMinx
Summary: Rumor has it when a new member of The Scarlet Manor joins? They get their 'wings'. Lady Minx pays the price of flight.





	Compromise

**Author's Note:**

> So, @therowdyravens on Tumblr re-posted her artwork for tattoos based on who you would work for if you were accepted into The Scarlet Manor's organization. Weeeeeell, Lady Minx is loyal to both Nadia and Lucio so when second-in-command Valerius tries to throw his weight around on the subject? She ain't having it – much to Nadia's amusement because she sees some of herself in Lady Minx and much to Asra's dismay because he doesn't want her anywhere near Lucio more than she has to be. I will go ahead and throw in here for flavor that Lucio and Lady Minx are...curious about each other. Both in The Scarlet Manor and in The Arcana. Where this leads? Hell if I know but it's gonna be a heck of a ride!

“I _refuse_ to choose between the two of them,” came the exasperated reply from Minx as she leaned back in her chair, folding her arms and looking dead at Valerius.

All of this commotion was only going on because she had been given an official invitation to join The Scarlet Manor. She had spent the last three months dotting her I's and crossing her T's, being even more meticulous than usual to insure that her future employers would get to see what she could really do versus what they had heard. It got to the point where even Lucio pulled her to the side a few weeks ago and told her that she wasn't what he expected and he “was gratefully surprised”. Coming from The Count? It was as big of a pat on the back as anyone could get.

When she first agreed to join The Scarlet Manor on a trial basis, The Count and The Countess had given Minx a 'laundry list' of sorts with the instructions that she could complete anything on the list she wished or nothing on the list if she so chose. Minx called it a 'laundry list' because on it contained tasks that neither of them had time to complete or collect, more or less a wish list of things they wanted done if time allowed. With this list also came a list of daily tasks she was expected to perform the days she was there. There was nothing unusual on this list – all of it mainly things she did while freelancing as a Negotiator.

Before Lucio gave her the compliment, she had completed two thirds of Nadia's wish list and roughly half of Lucio's wish list. After the words of praise were uttered? Not only did Minx finish both lists, she even went and did some things that were not on the list of either of her future bosses. When she came back to Nadia with the prized Jade Panther that had amethysts for eyes, The Countess nearly missed sitting down in her chair from the shock of having it placed in her hands. Lucio had a similar reaction when Minx came back with information on a target he had been itching to get the upper hand on for years. When both of them asked how she had managed to do this or how she had even known, all Lady Minx would do was give a sideways grin and a wink as she turned to walk out of the room.

Valerius clearing his throat shook Minx from her musings and her eyes narrowed when he opened his mouth to speak. She was currently sitting in The Countess' study with Valerius, Nadia, Lucio, and Asra. She didn't fully understand the power Asra had in these types of meetings but she knew that his opinion carried a lot of weight in regards to The Countess and that was more than likely the reason he was in the room while this conversation was going on now.

“ _Honorable Lady_ ,” the words hissed out of his mouth and carried as much spite as an insult, “these are the rules of the house I'm afraid. You must choose whose symbol you will don. And. You can only choose. One.” Valerius finished the sentence with a glare over his wine glass.

Lady Minx's left eye brow slowly rose at her syndicate honorific being hurled so carelessly in her direction. “I am not accustomed to repeating myself but since you seem to be **hard** of hearing? I'll make the exception for you just this once, _Consul_.” She had no problems returning the same tone he used toward her for his title. “I serve both The Count and The Countess. Willingly. Loyally. Without hesitation. And, dare I say, without equal.” Minx allowed her eyelashes to flutter with the last sentence as she looked Valerius up and down slowly to emphasis her point. Smirking when he bristled, she continued on without giving him a chance to interrupt. “Therefore, if I am to don a symbol, it would make the most sense that I would wear **both**. I would think there would be no objection to that. That way, the tradition of The Scarlet Manor can continue and I can continue to show my devotion to both The Count and The Countess as I always have from the very beginning.”

Minx looked over at where the couple were standing. She knew it was their decision in the end and she would respect whatever it was that they chose to do but she desperately hoped that they wouldn't make her choose. Minx was offered the chance at this position only because she had saved both of them during a set up meeting. She had gotten to know both of them over the last few months and while it was true that Nadia was far easier to work with and get along with, Lucio was not without his positive traits. Trust was slowly beginning to build between them and she was not about to let all of that slip under a bridge just because of one rule. She would hope that refusing to make the choice would be an action that Lucio would recognize as her loyalty toward him since most seemed to be scared of him.

He let that fact slip shortly after she accepted the trial position and Minx silently swore that she wouldn't let herself be scared away by who he was or what he may do. At times, Lucio made that promise...pretty hard to keep but in the end it was worth it. Minx got to see a side of him he rarely showed anyone and while she would never tell anyone or tease him about it, it never failed to warm her heart that he would even make the effort to try to let her in. Especially after the compliment was given to her. Before he let the praise slip, Lucio made sure she was never without the supplies or people that she needed. When she picked up on this, he brushed it off as if he does it for everyone. But when she made the off-handed comment to Nadia about it, The Countess was shocked and made a statement contrary to what he let Minx believe. As the months went on, Minx noticed more and more the little things he would do. It was almost as if he was saying ' _Please don't run away_.' and while she couldn't put a finger on exactly how it made her feel, the message underneath it all did make her heart ache.

And after the praise was uttered? Well, it seemed as if Lucio wanted her with him almost everywhere. Even going so far as to sometimes request her after his wild partying the following morning. Lady Minx had heard the tales from Nadia, Asra, the siblings – Julian and Portia, and even from Lucio himself about how wild his nights were. So when she received a pre-written text message the following morning to come see him the word wary didn't even begin to describe the thoughts flowing through her mind. She had no intentions to skimp out on her duties because of the oddity of the timing requesting her presence, however. So she made sure she looked as professional as possible and brought him something for the hangover as she made her way to his room. That experience was...one of the more interesting ones she had since she started working for The Count and The Countess. None the less, she found herself assisting him for things like that as well as small things in addition to the jobs she was already doing for him. While Nadia had given her such tasks to do from the very beginning and Minx was used to carrying out those things for her, doing such things for Lucio took her a bit more to adjust to since the man seemed to have the timing of a cat chasing shiny things.

One thing she noticed from her time here between the couple: Their marriage was like one she had never seen before and at times Minx wondered why the two of them were together. The first morning she was called in, Lucio was in bed with three other people and Nadia seemed to be aware of this when Minx saw her that afternoon! But there was no anger or even care toward this fact from Nadia. There were also other quirks she noticed such as Nadia was forever grateful for gestures of kindness or thoughtfulness while Lucio valued action above all else. It was that quirk of his that Minx hoped would pull him into agreeing with her decision to wear both their symbols.

Lucio uncrossed his arms, giving a dramatic wave of his golden arm as he sneered at Valerius. “Well?! Go get the tattoo kit and get things set up! She made her choice.”

Lady Minx didn't know whether to laugh or feel bad for Valerius as he shrunk back, fiddling with the stem of his wine glass. “Well, um...my Count, The Countess hasn't...uh..”

Nadia walked over to where Minx was and stood behind her chair, placing her hands on Minx's shoulders. “I haven't what, Consul? It may be rare when this happens but I agree with my husband. So do not leave us waiting and go get the kit.”

Asra looked quickly between Minx and Nadia a few times as he approached from the left. “Nadi...are you sure this is a good idea?”

Minx felt Nadia start to massage her shoulders, almost as if she knew where the tattoos were going to be placed. She was grateful that those who were chosen to be apart of The Scarlet Manor got to choose where it was going to go. She had already decided on the location the moment she found out it was an option.

Only when Nadia's hands moved to her hair did she respond, “Yes, I'm sure. She's been with us both since the beginning. To force her to separate now might cause a ripple effect of...unforeseen consequences. Besides, I'm sure her devotion is greatly appreciated.” Nadia allowed her gaze to slide to her husband before she moved her hands to the nape of Minx's neck. Giving a reassuring squeeze she then went to the phone on the desk and called up the artist that would be applying the tattoo.

Asra walked over to where Minx was sitting and knelt so he was eye level with her. “You are positive this is what you want?” he asked with concerned eyes. “No one pressured you into this?”

Minx couldn't help by smile and kissed his cheek “I'm positive this is what I want,” she whispered in his ear. “Please do not worry. Besides, I have you here to protect me, right?” She pulled back and gave him a slow wink, smiling when that earned her a chuckle.

He returned her smile, locking eyes with her in a gaze that held unspoken promises and gave a lingering kiss to her inner wrist before standing up. His head turned toward Lucio and the glare Asra gave seemed to burn a hole right through him. Lucio returned the look, the silent arguing going on between the two seemed to last forever until Nadia snapped her fingers and she took Asra's hand, making him stand by her.

Minx didn't want anyone's personal drama to influence her choices when it came to working here so she never did ask Asra about his history with Lucio. She made note to do exactly that after this ceremony as she stood and went to the chair that would be used for applying the tattoos. She removed her suit jacket, loosened and removed her tie then began unbuttoning her cuffs and shirt which caused Valerius to sputter as he sat the kit down on the table. “Wh-wh-what do you think you're doing!?”

“Oh, me? I thought I would put on a little show before I got inked. I'm daring like that after all,” she said with a roll of her eyes and a cock of her eyebrow. “Did you expect the artist to tattoo me through my clothing? I know where I want the tattoos placed and how. That is going to require me to remove my shirt. Don't worry: I won't be flashing anyone too much should you be faint of heart,” came the dry finish as she shrugged off her shirt to reveal a deep purple corset. Minx was actually thankful she hadn't decided to wear some of her more risque lingerie tonight. While she was sure Asra would have appreciated it, she didn't know how she felt about wearing it in front of Lucio and Nadia. And she most certainly did not want to be showing it off to that slime Valerius.

Minx straddled the chair and settled herself face down comfortably, folding her arms up so her forehead could rest against them. She took a deep breath when the door opened and mentally began bracing herself for the pain she knew was about to come. Having left instructions with the artist before this whole conversation began, she had no need to tell them how or where she would want the marks of The Count and The Countess. They would be placed going from left to right with the sharp points at the end meeting in the middle of her shoulder blades. Lucio's symbol would be on the left since for him she did mainly 'spy' work and rarely did he need her to be his bodyguard. But for Nadia, hers would be on the right because she often asked Minx to be a muscle of sorts for her.

It was part of the tradition that once the artist did the outer art and the outline of the chosen symbol, that The Count and The Countess would then fill in their symbol to show that they accepted their chosen worker into their fold. They would choose one of their two symbols and she had no idea which one they would pick. She assumed that it would correlate with her performance these past few months. Minx knew that with what she had picked it would take a long time to do and therefore a good amount of pain would be involved since there was a special type of ink being used.

By the time the artist finished everything including the outline, Minx's shoulders were on fire. She focused on her breathing the entire time and prided herself at wincing only a handful of times before the needle was changed and handed off to Lucio.

As he began filling in the symbol he chose to put in the middle, he spoke softly in her ear. “You've done very well, Little Wolf. Thank you for not running away. I know this is painful but it will pass and I promise you will be rewarded for your loyalty from here on out. Every single day.”

Minx let out a shuttered breath from his words. They sounded so soft and inviting. While she was sure that it was the pain speaking, she couldn't deny the sincerity she felt from the phrases he uttered nor the comfort she felt from his presence. She opened her mouth to thank him but all that she could respond with was a wince and a whimper. Lucio then briefly caressed the shell of her ear as if to say that she needn't try to speak as he finished filling in his symbol.

The tip of the needle was then changed again and handed off to Nadia. She spoke softly into Minx's other ear. “Thank you for taking my offer of employment. These last few months with you have been some of the best and I know Asra would agree with me. You make him very happy, my dear Lady. Please consider going to him when you cannot come to me.” Nadia placed a soft kiss on the shell of Minx's ear when she finished filling in her symbol.

When she tried to respond to Nadia, her body once again failed her. Minx could utter no words and Nadia stroked the back of her head a few times before standing and giving Valerius and Lucio strict orders not to bother their newest member until she was fully healed.

Asra had gathered her things, taking them to what would be her new room now that she had been officially welcomed into The Scarlet Manor. He double checked with the artist about what he would need to do to care for her tattoos and the pain she would feel. Minx tried to form a smile at all the questions he was rattling off and eventually lost track of the conversation as her mind started to drift. The last thing to filter through Lady Minx's head as the pain overtook her was the comfort that maybe she had finally found her home and could stop running.


End file.
